Flags fly at half-mast as South Korea investigates its worst plane crash

Flags fly at half-mast as South Korea investigates its worst plane crash
Flags flew at half-mast on Monday as South Korea mourned 179 people killed in the worst plane crash on its soil. (AP)
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Updated 30 December 2024
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Flags fly at half-mast as South Korea investigates its worst plane crash

Flags fly at half-mast as South Korea investigates its worst plane crash
  • The country has started seven days of national mourning, with the acting president flying to the crash site for a memorial
  • Officials initially cited a bird strike as a likely cause of the crash, which flung passengers from the plane

MUAN, South Korea: Flags flew at half-mast on Monday as South Korea mourned 179 people killed in the worst plane crash on its soil, as investigators probe why the Jeju Air plane crash-landed and burst into flames.
The country has started seven days of national mourning, with the acting president flying to the crash site in southwestern Muan for a memorial as teams of US and South Korean investigators raced to establish what caused Sunday’s disaster.
The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea when it made a mayday call and belly-landing before crashing into a barrier and bursting into flames.
Everyone on board Jeju Air Flight 2216 was killed, save two flight attendants pulled from the wreckage.
Officials initially cited a bird strike as a likely cause of the crash, which flung passengers from the plane and left it “almost completely destroyed,” according to fire officials.
However, Seoul said on Monday it would conduct a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800s in operation in the country, with US investigators, possibly including from the beleaguered plane manufacturer Boeing, joining the probe into the crash.
“We are reviewing plans to conduct a special inspection on B737-800 aircraft,” said Joo Jong-wan, head of the aviation policy bureau at South Korea’s transport ministry.
South Korea has a solid air safety record and both black boxes from Flight 2216 – the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder – have been found.
South Korean investigators said Monday that 141 of the 179 victims had now been identified using DNA analysis or fingerprint collection, according to a statement from South Korea’s ministry of land.
Victims’ families camped out at the airport overnight in special tents set up in the airport lounge after a long, painful day waiting for news of their loved ones.
“I had a son on board that plane,” said an elderly man waiting in the airport lounge, who asked not to be named, saying that his son’s body had not yet been identified.
At the crash site early Monday, a middle-aged man and woman kept their gaze fixed through the fence, where remnants of the plane – seats, gates, and twisted metal parts – were still scattered across the field near the charred tail.
The smell of blood was still in the air.
Soldiers carefully combed through a field of reeds next to the runway, engaged in what appeared to be a search for body parts.
South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, who has only been in office since Friday, said the government was making “every effort” to identify victims and support bereaved families.
Choi, an unelected bureaucrat who became acting president after his two predecessors were impeached, said on Monday a “thorough investigation into the cause of the accident” would be conducted.
He also said South Korea would conduct “an urgent safety inspection of the overall aircraft operation system” to prevent future aviation disasters.
The passengers, aged from three to 78, were all Korean apart from two Thais, authorities said.
Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it “sincerely” apologized, with top officials shown bowing deeply at a news conference in Seoul.
Another Jeju Airlines flight using the same model aircraft experienced a malfunction linked to the landing gear and was forced to return to Seoul’s Gimpo airport shortly after takeoff, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
“We are aware of the return incident and looking into the cause,” a Jeju Air representative said.
“We can’t say at this moment it was related to landing gear malfunction pending an investigation.”
Officials have pointed to a bird strike – a warning was issued by the control tower minutes before the crash – as a likely factor in Sunday’s crash.
However, a growing chorus of criticism from experts analyzing dramatic video footage of Flight 2216’s landing has focused on whether airport construction could have played a part.
Kim Kwang-il, Professor of Aeronautical Science at Silla University and a former pilot, said he was “quite upset” when he reviewed video showing the plane making a skilled emergency landing but then hitting a wall.
“There shouldn’t have been a solid structure in that area at all,” he said.
“Normally, at the end of a runway, there’s no such solid obstruction – it’s against international aviation safety standards,” he said.
“The structure in question caused the aircraft to crash and catch fire.”
“Outside the airport, there are usually just fences, which are soft and wouldn’t cause significant damage. The plane could have skidded further and stopped naturally. The unnecessary structure is highly regrettable.”


Xi and Putin hold phone call on Ukraine war anniversary, state media says

Xi and Putin hold phone call on Ukraine war anniversary, state media says
Updated 10 sec ago
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Xi and Putin hold phone call on Ukraine war anniversary, state media says

Xi and Putin hold phone call on Ukraine war anniversary, state media says
  • China and Russia earlier declared a ‘no limits’ strategic partnership
  • Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for its role in the war
BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping spoke with his ally Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Monday, China’s state media reported, on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
China and Russia declared a “no limits” strategic partnership, days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022. Xi has met Putin over 40 times in the past decade and Putin in recent months described China as an “ally.”
Beijing has refused to condemn Moscow for its role in the war, straining its ties with Europe and the US as a result.
It was the second call both leaders have held this year, after they discussed how to build ties with US President Donald Trump, along with prospects for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, in January.
Trump is pushing for a quick deal to end the war in Ukraine, alarming Washington’s European allies by leaving them and Ukraine out of initial talks with Russia and blaming Ukraine for Russia’s 2022 invasion, political gifts for Moscow that could also bring strong economic benefits.

Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks should involve ‘both sides’

Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks should involve ‘both sides’
Updated 55 min 3 sec ago
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Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks should involve ‘both sides’

Turkiye says Ukraine-Russia talks should involve ‘both sides’
  • Moscow and Washington have begun a direct dialogue in recent weeks
  • Russian and US officials held talks in Saudi Arabia in a meeting denounced by Volodymyr Zelensky

ANKARA: Turkiye’s foreign minister on Monday said Ankara backed a US initiative to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict but stressed that talks should involve both warring sides.
Moscow and Washington have begun a direct dialogue in recent weeks, against a backdrop of rapprochement between new US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“We attach great importance to the new US initiative as a result-oriented approach. We believe that a solution can be reached through negotiations in which both sides participate,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Ankara.
Lavrov’s visit comes on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to the Turkish capital.
Lavrov said Russia is ready for negotiations on the Ukraine war but will only stop fighting when a peace settlement “suits” Moscow.
“We will stop hostilities only when these negotiations produce a firm and sustainable result that suits the Russian Federation,” he said.
Russian and US officials held talks in Saudi Arabia in a meeting denounced by Zelensky, who fears an agreement reached without him.
Fidan, whose country hosted talks between Ukraine and Russia during the start of the war, said Turkiye was ready to take any step that would help bring peace.
“Turkiye is always prepared to assume any facilitating or accelerating role... Our goal is to end this devastating war as soon as possible and to heal the wounds in the region,” he said.
NATO member Turkiye has sought to maintain good relations with its warring Black Sea neighbors, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pitching himself as a key go-between and possible peacemaker between the two.
Ankara has provided drones for Ukraine but shied away from Western-led sanctions on Moscow.
Lavrov is due to meet with Erdogan later in the day.


Russia says blasts at Marseille consulate look like terrorism, TASS reports

Russia says blasts at Marseille consulate look like terrorism, TASS reports
Updated 24 February 2025
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Russia says blasts at Marseille consulate look like terrorism, TASS reports

Russia says blasts at Marseille consulate look like terrorism, TASS reports
  • There was no word on any casualties, and no immediate information on the extent of any damage

MOSCOW: Russia on Monday demanded a full French investigation into explosions at its consulate in Marseille which it said looked like an act of terrorism, state news agency TASS said.
There was no word on any casualties, and no immediate information on the extent of any damage.
“The explosions on the territory of the Russian Consulate General in Marseille have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack,” TASS quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.
“We demand (from France) exhaustive and prompt measures to investigate, as well as steps to strengthen the security of Russian foreign missions.”
The incident in the southern French city took place on the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war.
French media earlier reported that a blast was heard near the consulate and firemen were at the site.


Thousands in limbo on Thai-Myanmar border after scam center crackdown

Thousands in limbo on Thai-Myanmar border after scam center crackdown
Updated 24 February 2025
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Thousands in limbo on Thai-Myanmar border after scam center crackdown

Thousands in limbo on Thai-Myanmar border after scam center crackdown
  • Authorities from China, Thailand and Myanmar have attempted to dismantle scam centers and illegal online operations on the border
  • Thai and Cambodian police raided a building in a border town and freed 215 foreigners, a senior Thai official said on Sunday

BANGKOK: Thousands of foreigners freed from online scam-operating centers in Myanmar are stuck in limbo on the border with Thailand after a multinational crackdown on the compounds run by criminal gangs, three sources told Reuters on Monday.
In recent weeks, authorities from China, Thailand and Myanmar have attempted to dismantle scam centers and illegal online operations on the border, part of a network of illegal compounds across Southeast Asia where hundreds of thousands have been trafficked by gangs, according to the United Nations.
Thai and Cambodian police raided a building in a border town and freed 215 foreigners, a senior Thai official said on Sunday.
Two Myanmar armed groups – the Karen National Army (KNA) and the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) – are currently holding around 7,000 former scam center workers but are unable to send them to Thailand, a Thai security official and two aid workers said.
“Many are stuck in limbo and Thailand’s lack of response is causing great harm,” said one of aid workers, currently on the Thai side of the border. “It is like these victims are being revictimized again.”
Thailand’s foreign ministry said that agencies are currently planning for future handovers of those freed, which would “proceed based on the readiness of the embassies or the countries of origin.”
KNA and DKBA officials did not respond to calls from Reuters.
The majority of these workers are Chinese, with about 1,000 from other foreign countries, according to the aid workers.
Many of the former scam center workers are being held in dire conditions and local authorities are concerned about the lack of sanitation and health facilities, they said.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said last Thursday that Thailand doesn’t have the capacity to accept more people unless foreign embassies repatriate those crossing over.
Thailand this month accepted 260 scam center workers, more than half of whom were from Ethiopia, which has no embassy in the country.
Thai authorities also allowed China to repatriate 621 of its nationals via a series of flights from a border town last week.
Scam centers have been operating in the region for years, but face renewed scrutiny after the rescue of Chinese actor, Wang Xing, who was lured to Thailand with the promise of a job, and then abducted and taken to one such center in Myanmar.
Southeast Asian countries have since stepped up efforts to tackle scam centers, including Thailand cutting power, fuel and Internet supply to areas linked with scam centers.
Since March 2022, financial losses incurred by victims of telecom scams in Thailand alone stand at 80 billion Thai baht ($2.4 billion), Thai Police Col. Kreangkrai Puttaisong told reporters on Monday.


Russian veteran haunted by ‘terrible’ memories of Ukraine front

Russian veteran haunted by ‘terrible’ memories of Ukraine front
Updated 24 February 2025
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Russian veteran haunted by ‘terrible’ memories of Ukraine front

Russian veteran haunted by ‘terrible’ memories of Ukraine front
  • In October 2023, Yury signed up with a private paramilitary company as a radio operator in an artillery brigade
  • Yury took part in an assault on the town of Chasiv Yar and on Bogdanivka, which fell to Russia in April 2024

ISTRA, Russia: In his kitchen in a Russian town near Moscow, Yury stirs his tea and tries to settle into a normal routine after months on the front line in Ukraine.
But the memories of a conflict that he says is “more terrible” than anything shown on Russian television still haunt the 39-year-old school employee.
“My wife says I came back bitter,” says Yury, 39, whose military call sign is “Lokomotiv” — a reference to his favorite Moscow football club.
He also brought back reflexes like scanning the sky for drones or not wearing a seat belt in order to evacuate quickly from the car in case of enemy fire.
This last habit has earned him several fines in Istra, 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Moscow, where he lives with his wife and their four-year-old son.
When Russia announced partial mobilization in September 2022, Yury, who already had combat experience from the Russian Caucasus, was sure he would be one of the first to be called up.
“But it was my friends without any experience who were mobilized instead. Why them and not me? I felt then that I should go,” he said.
“My friends told me I was an idiot. ‘Why do you want to go? You have a family, a child, a good job’.”
In October 2023, he signed up with a private paramilitary company as a radio operator in an artillery brigade.
The brigade was based in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that was captured by Russian forces in May 2023 after one of the bloodiest battles of the offensive launched by Moscow in February 2022.
Yury took part in an assault on the town of Chasiv Yar, where Ukraine’s troops are still clinging to the outskirts, and on Bogdanivka, which fell to Russia in April 2024.
Since returning, Yury is bored with “daily routine.”
On the front line “there was always something new — you are afraid for the first two weeks and after that it is an adventure,” he said.
His wife Albina, 40, said she had made “a huge fuss” when she found out he was planning to go to Ukraine.
“It was tough. I was afraid of losing him,” she said, sitting on a sofa in their modest apartment.
She said his nine-month deployment felt “like five years.”
“I rushed to my phone every time I received a notification. I was afraid of reading or hearing some bad news. Every morning started with this fear. It was terrible,” she said, crying.
“In reality it was more frightening more terrible than anything they show on television,” Yury said.
“If they showed everything that happens there on television, people might change their mind” about the conflict, he said.
In Istra cemetery there are around 30 graves with Russian flags and pictures of men in military uniform who died in Ukraine.
The area is known as an “Alley of Glory,” like similar corners of cemeteries across Russia, where thousands have died on the front.
The overall toll is a state secret.
Yury points to the grave of a school friend and says in total five of his friends have died on the front.
“The majority die or are injured by shrapnel, from artillery fire or from explosive drones,” he said.
“I think every Russian understands that this war is against the West,” he said, repeating the official rhetoric which portrays the conflict as a wider confrontation initiated by Western countries.
Yury said he was skeptical about the outcome of possible truce talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
“It would be good if they could agree, if the war ended, but it will not finish immediately,” he said.
“A ceasefire will only make the situation worse. We have to get to the end of this!” he said. “If it’s not over by the New Year, I’ll go back.”